Separation technology continues to evolve from bulk separation systems, such as packed gas chromatography and conventional FID, to smaller separations systems, such as microfluidic chromatographic systems. Miniaturized separation systems have many advantages including significantly reduced combustion gas requirements as well as reduced sample volume and mass requirements. For example, a microfluidic detector may use up to five times less hydrogen gas and up to twenty times less air versus conventional gas chromatography-FID.
The development of small scale separation platforms requires the development of correspondingly compatible detection systems. For example, the development of a microfluidic separation system requires the development of similar micro detectors. Micro flame detectors have been developed and demonstrated for adaption with conventional gas chromatography instrumentation and capillary GC columns. For example, U.S. 2005/0287033 describes a microfluidic counter-current flame detector for use in conventional gas chromatography. The detector is adapted to a standard GC instrument and is capable of detecting various analytes separated using a capillary GC column. See also T. C. Hayward, K. B. Thurbide/Talanta 73 (2007) 583-588. Similarly, a compact separation system has been developed which includes a capillary column manufactured into an alumina substrate and combined with a microfluidic flame detector on a single piece of ceramic. See B. Dziurdia et al., Meas. Sci. Technol. 19 (2008).